I don't think there's a better way to transition from 49 to 50 than watching a bunch of rockers who are closing in on 60 going full blast for three hours. It's so inspiring - if those guys can still do what they do at their age, how much more can I do at mine?
One thing became clear to me last night (click here to find a video from the concert), that I couldn't see when I was younger...Bruce is without a doubt the soul of the E Street Band; Clarence, Little Steven and the others add personality; but Max Weinberg is for sure the heart that gives it life. He kept the beat going for three solid hours, sometimes just a steady background beat, sometimes an all-out passionate, sticks-blurring frenzy, sometimes a beautiful, intricate composition. We had perfect seats (thanks to George's complaint to the box office about our original ones) for watching him in action, especially with binoculars. I confess my eyes were on him more than on Bruce - soaking it in like a three hour drum lesson. He was amazing.
I don't mean to imply Bruce wasn't amazing, too. They all were. Clarence is starting to show a little age - not in his sax playing, just in his slow movements around the stage. The dead give-away was the stool he leaned against most of the time.
When it was time for the encore, I realized how long it had been since I'd attended a rock concert. The points of light glittering in the darkened hall weren't lighters, but cell phones! And when the lights came on at the very end, I could see! There wasn't that haze of smoke hanging low all through the stadium like in the old days. My ears still had that ringing, stuffed-with-cotton feeling though. I guess some things just can't change if you're talking about rock concerts.
My only disappointment is they didn't play "Rosalita", one of the songs that got me really listening to Bruce in the first place. But he played most of my other favorites, and ended with "Glory Days", very fitting for a 50th birthday, I think.
Thank you again, George and Karen!!
